Replacing the reigning two-time NHRA nitro Funny Car driver Austin Prock would be a big ask for anybody.
However, Jordan Vandergriff has welcomed the pressure and is winning for the renowned John Force Racing team.
Vandergriff won his second race of the season, capturing the title at the Denso Sonoma (Calif.) Nationals on Sunday.
Vandergriff clocked a 3.900-second elapsed time at 330.72 mph to defeat Daniel Wilkerson’s 3.950-second lap at 301.33 mph run in the finals.
This was Vandergriff’s second career Funny Car win to go along with his Southern Nationals victory he captured at Valdosta, Ga., on May 3.
“Yeah, pretty unbelievable, honestly,” Vandergriff said about his latest win. “We came here, and we pushed immediately. … That’s a credit to John Force Racing and the fab shop and all those guys back at the shop. We can’t do it without you guys, either. And we got our great race car that we’ve come out here with and literally hit the ground running and dominated this weekend. I came into [Sunday morning] after qualifying and thinking, ‘OK, it’s our race to lose.’ We have the target on our back, and it was a weird feeling. It’s a weird feeling, feeling like, you know, you’re the one who needs to win this race because you have the best car. We had tough battles today. Everybody ran well against us. There was no slouch against us, for sure.
“And to get this win, it’s so nice to win. When I got my first one in South Georgia, I was like, ‘I wonder what the next one’s going to feel like?’ Well, the next one feels pretty damn good. It’s just a credit to Chris Cunningham, Jason Bunker, and my Cornwell Quality Tools boys. They’re so good. They put the car together, and we come out here and we do this. So, thank you to them.”
Vandergriff, who qualified No. 1, entered the weekend fifth in the points standings on the strength of the one win, one runner-up and three semifinal appearances. He left town second, trailing only Ron Capps.
On Sunday, Vandergriff ousted Jason Rupert, Matt Hagan, Austin Prock and then Wilkerson.
“Our goal here at John Force Racing with Cornwall Quality Tools and for myself, Chris Cunningham, Jason Bunker, and my guys, we want to win,” Vandergriff said, seeming dancing around the question of what it felt like to beat Prock. “We feel like we’re one of the best teams out here, and we’re trying to prove that. So, the win means more, but that semi[final win] was cool, too.
“No, I don’t want to avoid” the question about Prock, he added. “Look, I think I don’t really want to avoid it. I think it’s just something that obviously doesn’t even need to be stated. You know, everybody knows what we’re talking about, right? We’re talking about me and Austin Prock and the decision he made to leave this car over the last offseason. But, listen, I mean, he’s a two-time champion, and they earned every bit of it. I just wanted to come into this car and hold my own and try to be better. To be the best, you gotta beat the best – and we beat the best today. So, getting this win is great, but, look, that’s just the first of many battles, and I wanted to win it. And I know he wanted to too. And if this is the first of many, then I’m glad it went my way.”
And Vandergriff acknowledged the hype surrounding the race between him and Prock.
“It wasn’t clear. My mind was not clear. It was such a build-up for the fans, for the sport, for me as well,” Vandergriff said. “He and I have been friends since the beginning. We went to Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School together. That’s where we met. And I told him that day, I said, ‘I think we’re going to be friends for a long time. We’re going to know each other for a long time.’ That is the case. I don’t think we would have expected our careers to be so intertwined now. And the rivalry is brewing, you know? We’ve had to navigate our friendship this year, and honestly, I don’t know where it stands.
“So, he’s meant a lot to me. He’s helped me in the times that were hard. And when I was trying with Rick Ware – I almost had something with Rick Ware – and he let me stay at his house. And when I drove Shawn Reed’s car, he let me stay at his house again. Like, he’s done so much for me. But it is sweet. It is sweet to meet him.”
In his post-race press conference, Vandergriff was asked whether he expected Prock to help him again.
“Well, I don’t ask anymore. That’s the difference. I don’t ask anymore because of the situation we’re in,” Vandergriff said. “And listen, he’s a two-time champion. So, like I said, if you want to be the best, you gotta beat the best, and I consider him one of the best out here. I’ve always felt that I could stack up against them, him, and guys like that – Hagan, J.R. [Todd], [Jack] Beckman, you know. But I’m desperate to prove it. And I’m trying my hardest.”
Vandergriff mowed down the competition, and his final pass kept Wilkerson from earning his first NHRA nitro Funny Car Wally, which he knows is part of NHRA drag racing.
“Yeah, definitely not today. I do want to see him win. When he was in the final in Bristol against Hagan, I was in the stands like, ‘Yeah, it’ll be cool if Daniel, if Daniel won one,’” Vandergriff said. “And then I found myself lined up against him today, and I said, you know what, it’s not going to be that cool if Daniel wins one. No, not today. So, it will be cool. Their time is coming. That team, and obviously Tim Wilkerson, a legend, a great of the sport. And Daniel’s not too far behind them. He’s learned a lot from his dad. And they’re coming around. I went to that final knowing they could throw down. They were the No. 3 qualifier here. I knew that they were going to come ready, and we had to be ready. We had the best car, but we still had to be ready. So, it just worked out in our favor.”
The win was extra special for Vandergriff because his legendary boss John Force was there for the first time to witness his his final-round success.
“John being here, you know, I wish he was there in Georgia, but you know, they had some things going on, and we won that for him and his family,” Vandergriff said. “And here, having him here, having Brittany [Force] here, it means so much. I mean, they’ve given me the opportunity of a lifetime to have John Force believe in me and Brittany believe in me. You know, a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff, if I’m being honest, Brittany Force was the driving factor behind me being involved with this race team. So, thank you to her, thank you to John, and having them here, it makes it as sweet as the wine.”
